Nick Clegg wants vote on EU membership

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, will call for a referendum on whether Britain should remain in the European Union.

The move is part of a bid to head off dissent over his stance on the EU Reform Treaty, which is going through Parliament.

Some of his colleagues are angry Mr Clegg is not backing Tory attempts to force the Government to hold a referendum on the treaty, which is widely considered to be almost identical to the old EU Constitution which had been rejected.

Mr Clegg will argue the crux of the matter comes down to whether Britain should be in or out of the EU. He hopes to get a vote in the Commons on Tuesday on such an amendment. A senior Lib Dem source said: "Nick does not believe the Reform Treaty is a constitutional treaty and therefore there is no need for a referendum."

A source close to Mr Clegg said: "If there are people in shadow cabinet positions who vote against the line the front bench takes then they know the consequences."